Mehergarh, A Center for Learning, conducted a one-week ‘Advanced Leadership Course’ for young activists from all over Pakistan working on democracy through their respective organisations. The training was organised by Mehergarh Youth Consortium – a platform of youth groups and organisations. The leadership course extrapolated the basic elements of democracy and the essence of the 18th Constitutional Amendment. The purpose of the training was to inform the youth about the relevant constitutional changes in the overall institutional framework of Pakistan.
Organisations of the participants included Baacha Khan Educational Foundation (Peshawar), Progressive Youth Forum (Abbottabad), Uelect Pakistan (Islamabad), Awam (Faisalabad), Human Empowerment Leadership Program (Quetta), Youth Senate of Pakistan (Gilgit-Baltistan), Indus Resource Center (Karachi), DTCE (Islamabad), Grass Root in Action (Hazara), Sindhi Language Authority (Hyderabad), British Council (Islamabad), Women Workers’ Union (Lahore), Daily Ibrat (Hyderabad), SPO (Hyderabad), Neengar Society (Multan), Sindh Dost Study Circle (Hyderabad), Progressive Youth Forum (Abbottabad), Y-Peer Network (Lahore), Aware Girls (Peshawar) and Youth Parliament of Pakistan (Lahore).
The training included a detailed course on the concept of federalism, Eighteenth Constitutional Amendment, devolution process and local bodies system intertwined with a basic course on communication skills to help the young activists in communicating their point of view.
The overall theme of the training was to move forward, engage with provincial assemblies and take the devolution process to the third tier.
The participants received Senator Raza Rabbani’s new book ‘Biography of Federalism’ as textbook for the course. Facilitators for the training course included Dr Fouzia Saeed (Social Activist and Director of Mehergarh), Zafarullah Khan (executive director of Center for Civic Education), Dr. Khadim Husain (managing director of Baacha Khan Trust Educational Foundation), Maliha Husain (program director of Mehergarh), Amjad Bhatti, Paul Lundberg, Rafiq Jaffer (director, Institute of Social Sciences). The young activists were ecstatic when Dr Abdul Malik Baloch, ex-senator and president of the National Party in Balochistan, came to talk to the participants regarding the struggle of democracy in Pakistan. It was a highly thrilling moment for the young activists to have had the opportunity to talk to the celebrated politician.
To conclude the ceremony, IA Rehman gave a session on ‘Way Forward’ suggesting that “we all become proactive in ensuring that devolution trickles down to the third tier of governance in Pakistan.”
At the conclusion of the ceremony, the zealous young activists from all over Pakistan vowed to protect devolution and the Constitution of the country.